glory a dios

2008-10-24T15:12:00.002-05:00

so who remembers that I have a blog???

update?
sure.

-nursing school is a beast and it's really hard.
-nathan and i are doing as well as can be expected, given the distance and busy school circumstances.
-i've moved out of the csf house and i live alone for the first time in my life.

other than that, i've just been living my life. today i was pondering what kind of message we as believers are supposed to take from life. from persecutions and murders of christ's missionaries all over the world, from our economy, from these times that are on the cusp of change....

i've realized that the bible will never change, despite all of the chaos and turmoil around each and every one of us, God has provided and will always provide. even if it isn't in the way we originally thought.

he loves me and he's sending me. everything else will pan out in the end, because i believe in his plan for my life.

just a quick note...

2008-02-10T14:16:00.000-06:00

i just returned to bloomington from the Christian Fellowship retreat that was this weekend. it was a very good experience for me, and i feel a little more prepared to spend a month in the beautiful and fascinating city of New Orleans later this year.

the retreat focused on response to people in tough situations, God's heart for the cities, and God's heart for the poor all over the world. it made blood:water mission more real to me, and made me feel that the things i do in bloomington are more well worth it, even when i don't always see all of the benefits. my heart is also filled with excitement about the pourhouse cafe and all that we have the ability to do for the city of bloomington.

another blessing that came from this retreat is that i had the opportunity to see nathan and meet several of the people from campus house that he spends regular time with. that was very encouraging, because i really enjoyed myself with them.

anyway, i think i should go finish my paper. if you need somewhere else to go after this, check some of this stuff out:

joelhamernick.blogspot.com--our speaker's blog
bloodwatermission.com--blood:water
sunshinegospel.org--sunshine gospel ministries in chicago, il
indianadreamteam.org--indiana dream team in gosport, in
efcakatrinaproject.com--information on restoration in new orleans, la
thepourhousecafe.com--pourhouse cafe, my new employer in bloomington

I know it's been forever....

2008-01-06T15:46:00.000-06:00

And a lot of things have changed.

Nathan and I got engaged on December 21, 2007!!!! I was so surprised, but I am very excited that all of this is real.

I just hope we can continue to challenge each other and grow through our loooong engagement. Be looking for an invitation for a Spring 2010 wedding and keep us in your prayers. :D

Also, my first semester of nursing school went better than expected. I finished very well, and I am looking forward to new classes that start tomorrow. I got back to Bloomington yesterday, and my break was awesome. I hope that the future is this good :)

I'm still unpacking (slowly) and getting used to our new room since Hannah moved out.

I know this is a really short update, so if you want to hear more about how life's going, you should call. We'll get a cup of coffee or something. :)

2007-09-08T13:11:00.000-05:00

so nursing school is really hard. it's like everything is second nature to our professors, and then they make you feel stupid when you can't do it right the first time. and they tell you not to read every word in the books, but that a ton of your test questions could come out of there, so don't miss anything. and we talk more about academia and politics and why nurses don't get paid as well as they should more than we talk about patient care...and i failed a quiz yesterday, which mimics the NCLEX (nursing boards), but i'm still trying to figure out why they want to test us like NCLEX 2 1/2 years before we take it.

and having a social/house life and a school life and a church life and a boyfriend/family life is KILLING me. after turning 21 last week, i have decided that going out the majority of the nights in a week is not a good idea, even though i'm never getting drunk.

but YAY because i got in, right?

anyway, i have some homework to do because it's saturday. but hopefully i'll get to take my little sister for csf out to starbucks and see some chelser today. :D

2007-08-26T21:35:00.001-05:00

i'm sorry.

forgive me.

do whatever you need to do with me.

that applies to whoever needs it right now, God or otherwise.

(first day of nursing school/my 21st birthdday is tomorrow. should be an interesting day.)

2007-06-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

i have just been accepted to the nursing program here at IU Bloomington. this is a really big accomplishment for me--i have been trying to get into this school for 2 years and i have finally made it.

i just need to praise god so much for blessing me with my house (csf) and with all of the amazing people that i have met this past year at school---to already add to all of the awesome and supportive people from back home.

i am still on cloud 9, hopefully this feeling lasts until graduation, which is 3 years away.

i am realizing my dreams, and that they can come true if i trust god and his will for my life!!!

i just want to say thank you to anyone who has ever said a prayer for this on my behalf, encouraged me or supported me during the last two years! you guys are awesome and such a blessing to my life!!!

one more cool thing, and then i'll let you go:

my first day of nursing school is on my 21st birthday!!!! i can't wait!!!

love you all

2007-05-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

it's been too long since i've updated.

i'm officially a junior.
i applied to nursing school at iub and iupui.
i'm scared to death of getting in at one of these 2 schools, even though it is my biggest dream.
nathan and i have been together almost 2 years and still going strong.
i'm leaving for new orleans tomorrow night to try and help some of those that the federal government has left out of the american dream.
god has been blessing me in ways that i never would have imagined.
i am excited about moving multiple times this summer and staying in bloomington.
i will be an "intern" with volunteers in medicine of monroe county.
i am officially addicted to blue and yellow slushies from speedway thanks to lor.
i have gotten close to some amazing people in the csf house this year, and i only hope that i'll be back next year for some more house fun.

thanks to all who helped make this school year awesome, and maybe i'll update again in a few months.

love.

live simply, that others may simply live
love is always the perfect gift

2007-03-08T12:46:00.000-06:00

i feel like i'm screwing this up for the both of us.

i feel like i'm pushing you away because i pretend not to care.

i feel like i want what i want, and that's all.

but the truth is that i love you,

i care deeply about you (and others),

and all i want is to be with you.

counting just hours now...

i like:

2007-02-24T11:25:00.000-06:00

what do i like today?

i like that even though things may get rough, i have the unconditional love of god my father.
i like that no matter how much i talk to my boyfriend, we are still learning things about each other.
i like that i gave up facebook for lent. i actually have to be personal with people now.
i like that it's saturday and i can sleep till noon (like i just did!).
i like that i am suddenly relaxed about this whole nursing school thing.
i like that there are still people in the world that are kind enough to help you in a meaningful way, even though they don't even know your name.
i like that i am finally able to live with girls and get along with them because i am secure in who i am as a person.

hope you all have a great rest of the day!
those of you at quiz camp--i hope you did better than you had imagined :D

<3

2007-02-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

i feel that the historic momentous occasion of IU cancelling all of my classes today was worthy of a post.

enjoy the snow and be safe.

happy card holiday!!

hoo-hoo-hoo-hoosiers!

2007-01-31T21:19:00.000-06:00

"Number 25???? That is an outrage!!! I'll fix that" --AJ Ratliff

Indiana guard AJ Ratliff, right, puts up a shot over Wisconsin guard Kammron Taylor during the second half of a college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. Indiana upset Wisconsin 71-66. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

2007-01-22T10:38:00.000-06:00

the colts rocked my freaking world yesterday. i will never forget that game.

i'm going to have my ticket framed so i will always have it with me.

"we're goin to the superbowl, we're goin to the superbowl"

holy. cow. this one was a long time coming, and adam viniteiri, dallas clark, joe addai, and peyton manning were M-O-N-E-Y!!!

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-01-20T12:12:00.000-06:00

i just wish i could figure out why i have such a sick feeling when i think about yesterday.

and for anyone who wnats to know what's up, i'm not publishing it on here. you'll have to get ahold of me somehow.

2007-01-02T13:14:00.000-06:00

hey.

you know what i suck at? giving updates.

anyway, things are going well, although i do feel crunched for time. break has gone too fast. hopefully second semester will do the same.

i was absolutely giddy over my grades. they were amazing. grace of god though, for serious. being home and having to only worry about dishes and which books to read has been nice, but that will all be gone by next week.

so i was rummaging through my "memory boxes" this morning and i found some pretty wonderful things that i'd like to share, including:
-old birthday cards
-high school notes
-tons of pictures, including a CDYC from 02 (wow!)
-cards from my loving amanda, from when we could hardly be in the same room (sad times, but over now!!)
-lots of school yearbook pictures, including one of chris when he had short hair (gasp!)
-newspaper articles that i had kept from football write-ups my senior year (including the roncalli game we won, which we were just talking about last night)

anyway, i know that is probably dumb and boring to most of you, but i found some really good things in those boxes that i thought some of you would like to hear about.

ok, i'm going back to sorting things. that was your update. yay for a new year!!!

2006-12-10T11:53:00.000-06:00

i *love* this postsecret card. not really true for me, but it's a good one.

check out:

www.postsecret.blogspot.com for more

i've been a reader for ages, new secrets come out every sunday. you should check it out too

2006-12-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

i forgot to put it up here...but an amazing weekend.

sleepover.
shopping.
wedding!!
cover your face.
applebee's
i don't know.
X-men.
studying.

the wedding was amazing. but sadly, no slushies.

*5 DAYS UNTIL I'M HOME*

WOOOOOOOOOOOO <3

2006-11-25T12:30:00.000-06:00

i love you more than i can understand.

i feel the same way.
so lucky to have you here with me.

2006-11-10T12:50:00.000-06:00

it hurts how busy i am right now....

i hope that everyone can forgive me.

**one week till purdue :)**

lists

2006-10-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

bad things:
my heart hurts....i miss the one i love
i won't be with him for 20 days and counting
school is kicking my butt

good things:
i get to go to church tomorrow
the hoosiers beat michigan state
i have an interview on thursday
i'm in love
i saw my dad today
ben allen shook my hand (among others)

**so i guess the good outweighs the bad (as always, although we hardly ever feel like it)

**we did this awesome thing in small group on wednesday. it was shorter than usual, so we just talked about a few ways that god has come through really big for us. it really encouraged me to start praying more and letting god take more things. i encourage you to try it when you feel overwhelmed.

**school is really hitting me hard right now (see list of bad things), but i am still doing well and i have an interview on thursday with the director of volunteers for bloomington hospital to see if i can work in the public health clinic (see list of good things).

**i think that's a pretty good update....more later i guess

**please keep me and nate in your prayers for strength and joy**

love

update

2006-10-23T16:17:00.000-05:00

so this weekend was amazing. i give it an A+...here's how it went down:

on friday--finished classes and then went to a murder by death show with liz...it was awesome. we also went for coffee and i stayed all night at her house :D
saturday--woke up and watched liz dye her hair with henna...then she made me huevos rancheros :) and i left for the habitat house...we hung drywall all day and then i ran home and hung out with nate (!)

**I just found this...i'll put it up anyway, even though it's not done 12.10.06

look at us go...

2006-10-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

just when i had doubts:
http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=262870084
&confId=null

HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOSIERS!!!!!!!!!

time to work :(

last night...

2006-10-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

hey everyone..thought i'd tell you about my night :D

last night after i got out of class, my mom and stepdad came down and we went to michael's uptown--yum--and we got my girl abi as our waitress.....which was sweet. then we went to steve and barry's and jiffy treet. and i got a little sad because there was this band of really talented but weird guys there, and nate and i had seen them last year on kirkwood when he came down one night. they played a really awesome cake song the first time, and last night, they did a cover of "two of us" by the beatles.

then we ran by my sister's place, and matthew was there. he is really good friends with liz and he has moved back to st. louis since graduation and was on his way to an ivy league (yale?) to perhaps get a job, which is great. i think the best part of that trip was that liz and ed (liz's guy) were in their pjs and it was 8.30 or so on a friday night.....haha.

then my parents took me to assembly hall, and i met up with woodsmall and zack, and we enjoyed ourselves some IU basketball....we sat on the same side of the court as eric gordon, the #2 player in the country, who has verbally committed to IU. we looked strong, and our guys have really bulked up. i'm SUPER excited about coach sampson, i don't care what anyone says. he makes his guys go to class, and he has a really tough defensive plan. Big Ten Champs, anyone? the BEST part of the night was when aj ratliff dunked over dj white, earl calloway and xaviar keeling (look at the pic).

after the madness ended, i took zack home and then went to a party to see a friend for awhile. i got in at about 4.30....and went straight to bed. pretty good friday night, if i do say so myself.

**i'll be with him in 7 days**

going to watch iu and iowa...should be "interesting"

wow

2006-10-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

i didn't think we could have gotten closer than we were. i was wrong.

56 hours....give or take

2006-10-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

not that i'm counting or anything...

4 days...

2006-10-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

homework is overrated....but we all know i'll do it anyways.

2006-09-23T13:05:00.000-05:00

ps it's raining uncontrollably here....someone should put a stop to that so i can enjoy the football game. now i don't want to go :P

**rice wrestling tonight** (seriously)

homework.....ew

pretty much one of the best weekends of my life!!

2006-09-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

man, i love him and i want to spend forever and always with him...

thanks so much to everyone i saw this weekend...and a special thanks to ash for letting me crash on her futon :D

**time to study for nutrition :p**

like a child

2006-09-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

so...i went to church at exodus on sunday, which is a really good fit for me i think....but anyways, pastor matt started talking about matthew chapter 18, where the disciples ask Jesus "who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" apparently, the kingdom of heaven was something that the jews understood would come upon the earth during the return of Christ and restore them to the relationship they once had with God and as a kingdom. so basically, they were asking Jesus who the best friend of God was....so here it goes:
Mt 18:2-5, 10
"2And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea....10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."

Ok, so when i read this, i was always like, "ok, be humble...blah, blah, blah." but then matt asked us a series of questions about the characteristics that children have, things that we seem to grow out of as we "become adults"
Humility: What kind of people are you better than?
Trust: How dependent on the Holy Spirit are you willing to live?
Openness, Purity, Innocence, Vulnerability, Availability: Have you sensed any leading or prompting from God lately? What can't you be more honest with God about?

these questions really challenged me....especially the humility and trust ones. i hope you have time to think and pray on these a little bit and figure out what God wants for your life....

"they say that love can
heal the broken
they say that hope can
make you see
they say that faith can find
a Savior
if you would follow and believe
with faith like a child."
--jars of clay, faith like a child

more to come

**4 days**

awww...i've had my blog for a year!! time to sleep

2006-09-10T23:20:00.000-05:00

traveling mercies

2006-09-07T14:15:00.000-05:00

"Several hours later, the blood stopped flowing, and I got in bed, shaky and sad and too wild to have another drink or take a sleeping pill. I had a cigarette and turned off the light. After a while, as I lay there, I became aware of someone with me, hunkered down in the corner, and I just assumed it was my father, whose presence I had felt over the years when I was frightened and alone. The feeling was so strong that I actually turned on the light for a moment to make sure no one was there--of course, there wasn't. But after a while, in the dark again, I knew beyond any doubt that it was Jesus. I felt him as surely as I feel my dog lying nearby as I write this.
And I was appaled. I thought about my life and my brilliant hilarious progressive friends, I thought about what everyone would think of me if I became a Christian, and it seemed an utterly impossible thing that simply could not be allowed to happen. I turned to the wall and said out loud, "I would rather die."
I felt him just sitting there on his haunches in the corner of my sleeping loft, watching me with patience and love, and I squincehd my eyes shut, but that didn't help because that's not what I was seeing him with.
Finally I fell asleep, and in the morning, he was gone....
...But then everywhere I went, I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in...
...And one week later, when I went back to church, I was so hungover that I couldn't stand up for the songs, and this time I stayed for the sermon...but the last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape....I began to cry and left before the benediction, and I raced home and felt the little cat running along at my heels, and I walked down the dock past dozens of potted flowers, under a sky as blue as one of God's own dreams, and I opened the door to my houseboat, and I stood there a minute, and then I hung my head and said, "Fuck it: I quit." I took a deep breath and said out loud, "All right. You can come in."
So this was my beautiful moment of conversion."

from "traveling mercies" by anne lamott
**everyone get it now....it's amazing**

how awesome would it be for jesus to seem that real to you, even if you didn't want him there??

school and the house are great...but i have a feeling that this book is going to help me find an even deeper relationship with the god i want to chase after with all of my heart.

pray for god's peace in all of our lives, and that i can find god's will for my life here at iu, because i know that there are bigger things than class.

love

the interweb is down at my house.....call me if you want to talk!!

2006-08-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

i miss everyone tons and tons!!!

2006-08-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

some thoughts and quotes

2006-08-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

some things from yesterday and today:

went to the state fair with my mom and nanny...almost tipped my nanny out of her rented wheelchair.

st. theresa's prayer:
"may today there be peace within. may you trust god that you are exactly where you are meant to be. may you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. may you use the gifts that you have recieved, and pass on the love that has been given you...may you be content knowing that you are a child of god...let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love."

"stay the course..." --the patriot

"school aside, you guys could get married right now and you'd be fine"

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
--2 Corinthians 12:9-10--

see you guys....i move on monday :D

request

2006-08-17T09:59:00.000-05:00

i have a request for all of you (this is a favor you're doing for me)

::please don't ask me to go to parties with you if you know there will be heavy drinking
::please don't have one of these parties and invite me
::please don't convince me to drink if you do happen to get me at a party--it's illegal and it ruins my integrity as a follower of christ
::please don't invite me to your house and offer me a beer or anything, because i'll want to take it

i would love to hang out with you guys, but it's really hard on me to be around alcohol right now....i signed a thing for my house that says i won't drink until i'm 21, and i definately don't want to risk my standing in the house. please don't get offended if i leave a situation because i can't handle being around whatever you guys are doing. i am trying to get closer to christ and to the example he has set, and i know that me drinking and partying is not something that christ would want me to do....

this is not targeted at any single person or group of people. but please, if you love me and respect my religion, don't ask me to do anything that you and i both know is wrong.

thanks for reading this....
love ally

bye!

2006-08-06T15:11:00.000-05:00

i'm excited for all of the mexico trip people....i'm praying for you guys, even though it's too late to say goodbye.

god will change your lives and stretch you more than you thought you could be stretched.....

glory a dios, indeed.

---------------------------

i also found out my roommates today: one i know, one i don't....welcome to the world of living in triples!

i am also finding myself happily unemployed, ridiculously busy and trying to show christ's love to people any way that i can.

love you guys.

happy

2006-08-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

i never thought that i could be so happy while doing nothing

tomorrow is my last day at my job!! yay!!

2006-07-08T23:48:00.000-05:00

mehh!!

-i really want to quit my job...right now!
-i am SO NOT READY for new orleans!
-i am SO tired of seeing my love for only 20 minutes a day!

bleck. but then again, things could be worse.....
the quizzers placed first and second at internationals....great job guys!!

two things and then bed, because i get to go to third service on the lawn tomorrow!! yay! :D

"There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to us
well-nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or
sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God. He is always whispering to us,
only we do not always hear, because of the noise, hurry, and distraction which
life causes as it rushes on." --Faber

and...
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."--romans 12:1-2

in him

2006-06-20T02:18:00.000-05:00

i miss waking up in the same place*

*as you.

bleck.

2006-06-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

bleck.
florida was nice. except the part where it rained the whole time....at least i didn't have to work!!

i get paid tomorrow.
but i won't see any of it. thanks for also reminding me that i'm poor manda :p at least there's no rent!!

i have friday off, but i don't know if i'll see my daddy for father's day or not....i guess i'll know in a couple of days.

my whole life revolves around work....and then how long i can last before passing out when i get home.

and dusty. let's not forget dusty :D

i'd love to give ya'll some encouragment, but i need some myself....i'm a little low on the uplifting words....just trying to make it through without screwing up

2006-06-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

i miss:

time with god
friends
serving others
sleep

**working 40+ hours per week is not reccommended unless you absolutely can't help it. like when you're old and you pay your own bills**

2006-05-04T17:40:00.000-05:00

holy cow i made it!!!

i'm on my way home and i can't wait to start my room and the hunt for my job :D it'll be relaxing compared to the past week...

CS Lewis:
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

hope everyone makes it through the end of school alright...love you all

2006-05-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

"i know that i love you, because when i see you after having not seen you, my heart jumps. i know that i love you, because when i see you after having just seen you, i smile on the inside. and i know that i love you, because when i look over at you when we're together, i feel like the whole world is in the right place."

i miss the one i love

Little 5

2006-04-19T00:55:00.000-05:00

so i'm not exactly excited about Little 5....i'm excited about the races, but this is one of the biggest college party weekends in existence. it's only tuesday and people are drunk in class. anyway, i've got to run to spanish (como estas?) i wanted to leave a little inspiration for those just trying to make it to the end of the year (aka the entire student popluation)....yay for the final habitat meeting of the year and small group tonight :D

----Phillipians 4:6-7----
"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. and the pease of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

love you guys

man oh man....

2006-04-10T22:43:00.000-05:00

wow...so many freakin fights. i'm glad i'm with someone who loves me and appreciates me for who i am. it hurts to see my girls hurt.

"I'm the guy that will call you and tell you "I love you and wish you were here" just
because.

I'm the guy who will show up at your games (or competitions or meets) without you knowing just to surprise you.

I'm the guy who will hold you when you're crying and wipe away your tears.

I'm the guy who still thinks you're beautiful with no makeup on, wearing sweats and a big t-shirt.

I'm the guy who kisses you on the forehead.

I'm the guy who doesnt kiss and tell.

I'm the guy who actually listens to you when you talk.

I'm the guy who is content to just be able to hold you and wants nothing more.

I'm the guy who can't help but smile when you walk into the room.

I'm the guy who's perfectly content with staying in and watching movies and cuddling.

I'm the guy who won't lie to you about where he's going or where he's been or who he's been with.

I'm the guy who's not afraid to tell his friends he loves you.

I'm the guy who doesn't care about your imperfections and loves you more for them."

This totally reminded me of my guy...
I love being in love*

rain

2006-04-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

wow...so it's been awhile.
it's been raining all day--non-stop. one of those days where you just want to curl up in bed with a good book or watch the rain or sleep all day.

anyway, i have to tell everyone this little quote that someone very special sent me the other day. :)

love, me

"Some things you wait your whole life for, and in the end when you finally get them, you are disappointed. Some things you wait your whole life for, and when you get them you realize you never really needed them. And then there is that thing that you wait your whole life for, and in the end when you get it, you know that it was worth the wait."

2006-03-28T22:11:00.000-06:00

2006-03-20T15:04:00.000-06:00

"you're the girl i've been dreaming of as long as i can remember having dreamt about girls..."

list of good things....

2006-03-14T21:07:00.000-06:00

(1) i'm in florida in the sun.
(2) i'm with some of my most favorite people in the world--minus one.
(3) i'm on spring break and i'm staying sober (wonderful)
(4) i'm in love with an amazing guy
(5) i played putt-putt tonight

yay...this is my 50th post and i'm sooo excited about being on spring break and whatnot. i miss everyone sooo much though, and i'm ready to go home and see my boy :D

love to everyone <3
(i'm not doing a verse tonight--i know you all are really disappointed)

2006-03-06T10:56:00.000-06:00

i'm pretty happy right now, which is a feeling that might not last very long, since midterms come out on wednesday. even though i miss everyone already-- especially those i ran out of time to be with--i'm counting the days until spring break. i have one more test tomorrow and then i start packing. :D

here's a verse and then i'm going to go get some food y ir a la clase de espanol.

--1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1--
so, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as i try to please everyone in everything i do, not seeking my own advatage, but that of many, that they may be saved. be imitators of me, as i am of Christ.

2006-02-24T22:24:00.000-06:00

so i'm gonna put off studying for my sexual politics test for just a sec....
i wanted to give you guys an update. my mono has made a sudden reappearence and knocked me on my butt today after i ran around all week this week. so my mommy came down to take care of me :D.

it's been really nice that i have an excuse not to go out with people on the weekends: i can't drink because mono can really hurt your liver. as we all know, alcohol doesn't help the liver. so that's a really good excuse until i can stop wanting and giving in to that.

i'm loving my new roommate. she's catholic (for real) and we are getting along great. we hang out a lot together in our room and i actually missed her when i was staying with my sister.

everything is starting to fall into place for me to live at csf next year, even though my dad is still a little skeptical. but my second recommendation letter is on the way and i'm almost done with my interview questions. wOOt!!

i'll be in florida with becky and laura in two weeks, which i am getting so pumped for!! :) here's your verse kids. nate's coming tomorrow and i'll be home next weekend.....send up some prayers for me: this coming week is midterms and i'm still fighting this mono. love ya'll

--hebrews 12:3-7--
--consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. in your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. and have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "my son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. for the Lord desciplines the on he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." it is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?--

2006-02-19T10:52:00.000-06:00

i'm tired.

i miss nate.

i hate writing papers.

gr.

2006-02-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

it's so hard when people give you advice and then you find out later that they only said those things to get what they want....it's also so hard when you want to do everything, but your ability only depends on this body you've been given.

i'm tired. and my parents got what they wanted. i only half got what i wanted, and he got screwed. yuck.

2006-02-09T20:42:00.000-06:00

hello loves!

first, a note about the superbowl: it was a joke, and it should'a been the colts. too bad we took a 3-week vacation before the playoffs.

i've started feeling a little better, but that makes sense......since i haven't been doing anything but sleeping and trying to get my butt to class.

i'm practically living with my mom right now, which is kinda strange since now it's like i have two houses. weird. i really miss everyone, since i'm on like quarantine and all i do is sleep....

nate and i are supposed to go see stomp in indy tomorrow night, but this whole mono thing is kinda getting me down....so i guess we'll see.

well i thought ya'll deserved an update...i miss everyone and i'll be around this weekend (of course)

uhhhh....verse time?
1 John 4:16-19
--So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.--

2006-02-02T09:24:00.000-06:00

sooooo..... i found out why i haven't been feeling so hot lately...

i have mono.

happy february everyone....i'll be back to normal in about 4-6 weeks. yay!!

here's your verse.

--For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealsed to us.--
romans 8:18

love
ally

2006-01-27T20:07:00.000-06:00

so i haven't been feeling good the last couple of days....but i still went to my first "c-group" and to encounter and all of my classes. but tonight i'm staying in by myself and watching movies--chelsea went home for the weekend.

anyway, at my c-group (which is coed and in an actual house--yay) we talked about the fall of man, which i've talked about many times. but on wednesday the group leader, adam, asked this question:
if god knew that if adam and eve ate from that tree that he would have to punish them, then wy did he put it there in the first place??
obedience. and another thing that was new to me......even though god threw adam and eve out of the garden, he showed all of us mercy by not giving up on us. he created us because he wanted us. i like that.

so then i went to encounnter at csf and there was a guest speaker from indy there....he talked about sexuality and the church and society...it was good, especially since he talked about how his wife felt when they first got married. it was like all her life she had been told "sex is bad" and seen all these fake women in magazines and on tv, but then it was supposed to be just fine once she got married. that really hit me and i thought, "am i all he'll want?" which is a very sad question for a woman of god to ask herself, when i have been made in his image and he has my best interests in mind. i have always thought that i wanted (still do) to get married, because i don't feel that we should go through this life, as hard as it is, without a best friend and a companion here on earth. i don't know....i'm done rambling now. here's some stuff and then it's back to movies...

"to love is nothing....to be loved is something....to love and be loved is everything." --random

--But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.--
James 4: 6-8, 10 (my favorite book)

2006-01-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

it amazes me how many memories you can make in one day. how it seems that some days feel like weeks and some days feel like mere hours.

i was just thinking about that today.
----------------------------------------
i tried to give blood today. my hemocrit (red blood cell count) was 3 points away from the red cross's minimum to give--so they had to reject my blood. sad day.

i also ended up sleeping through spanish, watching a movie in sexual politics, and going to lennie's and target with my dad and sister. good times.

i'll leave you with a verse and get to my psych homework. <3

"As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man."
--proverbs 27:19--

2006-01-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

wow.

i don't want to talk about it.....

i'm getting too old for this!

2006-01-16T21:15:00.000-06:00

i try so hard to hold on....
when i should just really

let
go.

2006-01-11T22:59:00.000-06:00

i feel like
i'm dying

and then suddenly
it's time to sleep again.

*sigh*

<3
--romans 12:9--

2006-01-08T22:58:00.000-06:00

so i'm back in b'town. just wanted everyone to know. and i'm roomie-less.

what am i gonna do with all this space??

i'm really tired, so i just wanted to say a bit about third service and leave you with some stuff.

service was amazing this morning. i let go of some stuff i'd been trying to hold onto and i found some peace there too, which is always a bonus. keep my mom in your prayers, she's going through some stuff right now.

aight, here's your verse:
--romans 14:7-9--
for none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. for to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

more to come
ally

2006-01-05T23:22:00.000-06:00

if you seek happiness for yourself, you will never find it. only when you seek happiness for others will it come to you.
--nickel and dimed--

i think this will be my last post for the evening.

--psalm 63--
because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. so i will bless you as long as i live; in your name i will lift up my hands. for you have been my help; and in the shadow of your wings i will sing for joy. my soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

2006-01-05T22:33:00.000-06:00

i can't wait
until love songs
become truth

we got everything we need right here
and everything we need is enough
it's just so easy when the whole world
fits inside of your arms
do we really need to pay attention to the alarm?
wake up slow, wake up slow
---------------------------------------------------
love is the answer
at least for most of the questions in my heart
like why are we here?
where do we go? and
how come it's so hard?
it's not always easy and
sometimes life can be deceiving
i'll tell one thing
it's always better when we're together

lyrics courtesy of jack johnson

quest

2006-01-05T22:10:00.000-06:00

oh man. quest was amazing tonight, but first i have a general announcement:

today i spent an insane amount of money on books and groceries, and i'm pissed about it. it will not be discussed anymore.

ok, back to quest. so our discussions randomly turned to trying to answer this question:
why is it easier for us to open up to people who aren't in the body and to make them a part of our lives?

i'm still not sure, even after about an hour of discussion. but it definately has to do with the standards the church has for us and how many people (me too) feel judged in church. i think it's crazy how awful we are to one another, how we shun one another and confront one another, and yet still say we're doing the work of god. jeanette said this: "why are christians the only people who kill their wounded?" so true, so true.

we also talked about paul, and about he is so adament in thessalonians about not being a burden. he talks about service, and about being christ to the people he ministered to. this really interests me, because we don't serve like we should.

the son of god washed the dirty, dusty, muddy feet of his closest friends on his hands and knees.

"people honestly need to know that you truly care about them and don't want anything in return..." --jb

again, just one more thing for us to strive to become. servants. i've noticed that this blog is more of a "what i did today" and not a "what god's teaching me about himself and people" thing. so i'm going to start putting in posts about what's going on with me and jesus.

i mean, the blog is spanglish for "glory to god".

--psalm 36:7a & 9--
how precious is your steadfast love, O God!
for with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

we must look to god for our hope in this dark world, because "he is light, and in him there is no darkness" (1 John 1:5)

more to come

i've got nothing for you

2006-01-04T00:16:00.000-06:00

so today was pretty crazy, but all in all was a good time.

i got up early-ish because i *thought* my parents were leaving dusty here. they didn't, but lowes came and put in our new microwave cause our other one died. then i kinda went back to sleep and the dog was sick (brad brought him to me) and i got ready.

then nate came and got me and we went to taco bell and to ward's so i could get my pants. then we headed to indy to go ice skating and killed some time in the mall before we went ice skating. we couldn't stay out very long because nate's ankles are abnormal and it hurt him really bad to skate. so then we came home and ate dinner with our families....then we went to chris's for pictionary-- yay!! it was me and nate, laura and manda, and chris and vanessa--nate and i won. then ness and manda left, and the rest of us played phase 10 until like 1. so now i'm sleepy and i have to pack tomorrow *sad day*

more to come
love
ally
romans 12:9

yay for 2006

2006-01-01T01:02:00.000-06:00

happy new year everyone!!!

i'm really tired (again) but i wanted to say that and i also had a wonderful time tonight with everyone i was with....definately missing some people tonight tho *sad day*

yay for the new year and for sparkling sour apple cider (surprisingly good)

rang in the new year by watching the ball drop with a bunch of old people (including my old man--thanks to steve bo) and played catchphrase and phase 10....good times, good times.

i hope everyone enjoyed their evening, and now i'm gonna go to sleep

love
ally
romans 12:9

**7 months, 20 days**

so tired

2005-12-31T01:42:00.000-06:00

so i'm really tired but i have to post what i did today.

nate called me nice and early and woke me up. we went to ihop and he bought me pancakes ::warm fuzziness:: we had a really good time tho. then he brought me home and i laid around and read part of the devil in the white city (everyone read it NOW o_o) and cleaned our landing (my family bought a house that has a balcony inside it. seriously.)

then my daddy came and got me and took me to indy. we went to the mall and i returned some shoes he got for me and got two pairs instead. yay! then we went to dinner and then to the pacer's game!!!

it's ok that we lost ::sad day:: because my dad had the bestest seats in the world and i could hear the coaches yelling at the players....ps tony dungy was there and so was jean keady <--his hair scares me

then he brought me back to my mom's and i talked to her for awhile. then nate came and got me and we went and picked up laura and went to chris's and woke him up, but he was in a really bad mood so we left ::wonder why?::

so then me and nate went to my house and watched o brother where art thou? with my sister and ate cheesecake. yay!

so i had a really good day that was worth a long post.....tomorrow is new year's ever (or today rather) yay anyway!!!

more to come
ally
romans 12:9

hiya

2005-12-27T22:57:00.000-06:00

so it's been quite awhile since my last post....i'm enjoying break too much to actually take a break and write stuff down.

anyways-- christmas was really awesome, but very small this year. yesterday i did absolutely nothing, but my mom was off and she taught me how to crochet this really awesome pattern...i think i'll make a bag (such an old lady) O_o

today i got up early-ish because my parents left dusty (our puppy) here with me.....we laid around for awhile and then went and romped in the park for a bit....he's a really shy dog who i've learned is only comfortable being around us and the cats. then we went back to my house and i watched tv and dusty slept....then the parents got home and we went to ward's and i got a new pair of jeans. then came chinese food and lots of volleyball and steak n shake with the stud.

good day

more to come
love
ally
romans 12:9

yup

2005-12-15T03:06:00.000-06:00

that's right kids, i'm posting.....again. i wonder if anyone even reads this, but it's nice to get my thoughts out and kinda journal a bit...

anyways, today i went and took my last final for the semester, physiology, which i can't say that i was excited about....but it went "ok" but while i was in btown (with my bestest laura in tow) i found out that i got an A on my HUGE lab paper that i stressed about for weeks....so that's pretty exciting.

i didn't really do anything today except go to btown and hang out with laura....we got back after dinner and so i just kinda hung out with my family, watched a movie with my sister, and talked to my stud on the phone for a bit before he went to sleep.

so now i'm here and i'm about to go to sleep--i'm actually tired because i WORKED today. weird.
anyway, tomorrow is the official beginning of my 3 week long break.....yay!!!

good luck to ya'll who still have finals...
love you guys and more to come
ally
romans 12:9

excuse me???!!!

2005-12-14T21:45:00.000-06:00

can i just say that i am very frustrated with the armed services right now???

so my mom's friend's son jeremy enlisted and was pushed from one base to another very recently....
he was told that he was going to iraq in 2 days. without training. not even basic.

he got upset with his drill sargeant, saying "i'm a civilian!!! you can't send me over there!!!" he is now receiving psychiatric care, courtesy of the united states government.

EXCUSE ME???!!!

and i also heard on the news today that if congress grants the next request for more money for the war that our tab on this war will come to about a half TRILLION dollars....
meanwhile, everyone at home is christmas shopping and spreading holiday cheer....and called unpatriotic if they don't support this war that the government is hiding from us and still deeming completely necessary.

our president said that about 30,000 iraqis have died since we got involved. i don't know how many people saddam is on trial for killing, but we aren't doing a very good job of keeping the death toll low right now.

gr. well, i have a paper to finish....have a good evening everyone.

love
ally
romans 12:9

2005-12-13T03:09:00.000-06:00

so...i should probably be asleep, but i can't get to sleep. eh.

so i'm home for the next couple of days. then back to btown....then home for 3 whole weeks....wOOt. 1 final and 1 paper and then i'm done for the semester....yay!!

i missed everyone so much, it was crazy. i miss tricia and alli and brit and steph, but man. there's nothing like coming home. i saw nate tonight, and i went out to starbucks with laura and manda...we also went to see laura's truck at the body shop...insane she's not hurt...praise god.

pray for johnny chase... www.johnnychase.org. he isn't doing well, he is suffering from internal bleeding and fluid in his lungs. his parents have asked everyone to continue praying for him.

well, i'm off to try and sleep again.
more to come
love
ally
romans 12:9

hi

2005-12-10T12:42:00.000-06:00

so it's saturday morning and it's one of those times where you're tired but you can't go back to sleep....eh

i decided to stay here this weekend to study for my finals on monday, and so of course as soon as i decided to do that and not go out, i got 3 calls to go out at different times this weekend........i hate that.

nate and chris have gone to ball state for the weekend to play volleyball--they are sooo lucky. laura is watching my puppy at my house all weekend, and i'm not there....sad face. i really don't know what manda's doing--hey, do you want to go for coffee when i get home??? hehe we totally should...

this week was pretty nice, filled with all of my "last classes" for the semester...i went to small group for the last time this semester, and other than that i've been with alli ray, britney and nicole for most of the week. good times.

so i'll be home in exactly 1 1/2 days....i'm pretty excited. but before i can come home i have to study for and take 2 finals and write a 5 page paper....hmmm, i should prolly get started.

i'm going out tonight, so for those of you who know what that means, now you know. wow. i think i just confused myself...anyway.

with all that stuff i gotta do by monday night, i better get started.
i'll see you all soon
love
ally
ps 119:11

girly moment

2005-12-03T19:33:00.000-06:00

can i just say i am with a wonderful boy??

i can. right now he is going to get clothes out of his car that he picked up from my mom's house. all this after he went to my mom's house and drove down to eat breakfast and watch movies and nap with me all day...

**sigh**

happy saturday.

my week was fine.....i'm getting excited that i will be done with the semester soon and can come home for three whole weeks.

i miss all of you.
love
ally
ps 119:11

eh

2005-11-29T19:40:00.000-06:00

i feel like i should post, since it's been a few days.
updates:
i'm freeeezing
saturday and sunday of break: went to brad's mom's and the lake, cooked a turkey pot pie, went to nate's house with laura and watched constantine.....went to church and the store, said goodbye and went home
corey's home--hadn't seen her in weeks and weeks
classes have been ok--i'm soooo excited because i only have this week and one more week of classes before finals/dead week
i should really start my final paper for lifespan
i'm making laura a scarf for christmas--it's cute
i'm about to go out with my sister and dad, whom i haven't seen in weeks

oh, and my favorite pie: pumpkin

now you know--i knew you were wondering
miss you guys
15 days till i come home
ally

mmm...break

2005-11-26T03:52:00.000-06:00

man has my break been awesome so far, and i needed it too...

monday and tuesday were really good, just hanging out with my alli ray and tricia and going to the last classes before break *kinda*

found out i got a B on my last finite exam--- i only got two questions wrong. wOOt

came home with eric on tuesday...heard ourselves some michael jackson and some cake on the way home
i've been seeing a lot of nathan, but not a lot of "my girls" this break....

saw manda and laura on wednesday and now laura's in ohio, but that's it...
thanksgiving was...interesting, but no one in my family fought too bad, so it all worked out

thursday night me, mom, liz, brad and nate TRIED to watch batman begins, but the dvd screwed up....went to nate's house later that night

today, no shopping. but i cleaned out my room and now i get to sleep in here!!! YAY!!!!!!! *for those of you who don't know, i have been sleeping in my living room for a few months--mattress on the floor**

nate came and got me and we went with his sister, annie and sean to the north side for mongolian bbq...and it was really good, except our waitress was secretive and we had to pay for 2 meals. jerks with their no sharing.
after that we went back to jeanette's apartment and made christmas cookies and decorated her christmas tree.....yay!
after that me and nate went to his house for a bit and then he took me home....

great break so far--hopefully i'll get to see more of you soon coughlauraandmandacough
more to come
love
ally
ps 119:11

wow

2005-11-20T23:24:00.000-06:00

so....the last few days have been fantabulous

wednesday: went to small group, just me and steph....great discussions, starbucks and rob bell
thursday: handed in my lab paper!!! did a urine test on myself--weirdest thing i've done for awhile, ate dinner at the csf house, hung out with the girls there (saw the rooms--they're triples and i adore them), went to their evening (kinda quest-y) service, studied for my finite exam
**weekend**
friday: slept in, studied finite, got half of romans 1 (!!), took my exam, nate came and got me....went and saw harry potter with TONS of people---soooo good. napped at nate's house, home and to bed
saturday: hung out all day, listened to the bucket game, went out to u of i to see sam for her b-day (sooo fun), cried in the middle of the street with nathan, home and to bed
sunday: went to third service for thanksgiving mealness, steak n shake for girly coke time with ness, manda, becky and laura, went home and cooked for the game, watched the game with the boy and the family, and then brad took me back to b-town....

this weekend was soooo great....i love ya'll and i'll be back home on tuesday night
love
ally
ps 119:11 & rom 8:24-25

yay

2005-11-15T02:44:00.000-06:00

he got my letter.

and he feels the same way.

and i'm coming home in three days.

and my paper's done.

good evening, god. i appreciate it. kinda makes up for all the storms and tornado evacuations.

romans 8:24-25: "now hope that is seen is not hope. for who hopes for what he sees? but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with patience." i really like this passage....

enjoy your wednesday.

ps i'm memorizing romans and james-- pray for me.
love
ally
ps 119:11

friday

2005-11-12T05:23:00.000-06:00

so....it's 3 am on friday evening/saturday morning, and i just had the worst day and the best day in the same day. still wondering if this is possible....

anyway, my last post was, uh, tuesday, so here's a quick summary before we get to my best/worst day:
tuesday: went to classes, did some other stuff (speaking very vaguely, long week)
wednesday: freaked out over me paper, then did nothing about it; went to classes
thursday: took a life span exam (oh joy), went to classes, went to dinner/gym with brit to try and relax

and now, for today:
today i slept in till about 10:30. didn't start studying until about 12, kinda just screwed around till then. got ready for class. went to math and then to take my p215 exam....no comments.

then i called nate and he was in b-town. he came and picked me up and we went to my dorm and napped for a while. then we went to this pizza place on kirkwood (cafe pizzeria) and ate. then we came back here for more naps and making random faces at each other and trying to fit two people into one-person places (don't ask).....we started watching mona lisa smile in diana's room (my room was full of girls working on their rush cards---again with the lack of asking), but then he had to go....i totally started crying right in front of him this time..usually i can hold it in until i turn around and start walking away from him.

but THEN, michelle was running around asking for a vcr, so we went into d's room and watched (drumroll please)-----reality bites man i love that movie....anyway, it is 3 am, as mentioned above, and i'm going to bed, because i have a paper to finish (no comment about my slacking for the last 2 or 3 days)

more to come
love
ally
ps 119:11

wait!!! i forgot to tell you.....it was sooo cool. we were at the pizza place tonight, and our waiter brought out our breadsticks. so we're praying for the food, and we get all done with our prayin', and our waiter is just standing there, holding our refills. awkward, but nice...enjoy your saturday.

so....

2005-11-08T15:59:00.000-06:00

so the last few days have been interesting....

the only things i have to say about my weekend:
amazingly awkward
freaking awesome

that's it...
monday i had a medical soc exam-- totally kicked my butt...i don't want to talk about it.
monday night football: fabulous....i think we may have a superbowl team here, but i'm not making any promises.....but we are 8-0 *coughtombradysuckscough* did you hear that?

anyway, my life has become devoted to this paper i'm writing, which is due in a little more than a week, so really i don't have a lot of news because i don't have a life right now...

for everyone from mooresville who reads: i'm not coming home until thanksgiving break, which for me starts on the tuesday before thanksgiving thru sunday....see ya'll again then

hopefully i'll have more exciting things to talk about as soon as i get this stupid paper finished.
more to come
love
ally
ps 119:11

please pray....

2005-11-04T13:55:00.000-06:00

so i just found out that another one of my friends from the ft. wayne area has cancer.

his name is geoff and he has lymphoma.

the other friend is johnny chase, who has bone cancer. i've been told that the doctors aren't treating him anymore and have sent his family on vacation so that they can be together.

both of these guys are under 20 and do not deserve to have their lives cut short. but PRAISE GOD they are both christians...please pray for their families and friends, and pray that god will miraculously heal them if it is his will.

thanks and love
ally
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obstructive sleep apnea.....

2005-11-02T13:37:00.000-06:00

so i should really be working on my physiology paper about obstructive sleep apnea, but i don't think i will until later....

i am so lucky, just for the record. yesterday i went to the life sciences library to get some books for my paper, and i didn't get done until almost 11. so i went outside in the freezing cold, and i called laura so i wouldn't be so alone-- we talked for almost 45 minutes, because she loves me. that makes me smile.

and then, when i had gotten off the bus, i went and checked my mail.....and what did i find? a love letter from nate and a card from my grandma. more smiles. a note about the love letter: i wrote him because he hadn't written me--except he had, i just hadn't gotten it yet. yay. oh! guess what? nate got his acceptance letter from purdue yesterday, along with the letter i wrote him. yay

the last few days i have just been studying and working and going to class and patiently waiting for the weekend to get here.

nora emailed me this week, and although her email was really short, it made me realllly happy. i hadn't talked to her for a long time.

so i totally dropped a powerade all over our floor this morning on my way out the door-- so i was a little late to medical soc.

the world is blowing up
the world is caving in
the world has lost her way again
that you are here with me
makes it ok

(i think is my most random post yet)
i'll be home in a few days. love you guys.
more to come
ally
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weekend of visits

2005-10-30T23:15:00.000-06:00

so this weekend was soooo sweet.

friday night nathan came down really early (like 4-ish). we went for a walk and went to bombay house for some really rockin indian food. exept that we weren't really hungry and pretty much split a regular entree and had naan (bread) and rice. soooooo good, and as a bonus also really cheap. then we waited for the bus forever and then finally went in search of a public restroom. this search included discussions of how women know where every restroom in the us is and me receiving free condoms from iu's anti-rape campaign. (they obviously didn't have their virgin radar turned on). then we came back to my room and watched "remember the titans" and regular, random tv afterwards...then he went home--i definately wasn't happy when he left.

then saturday laura, amanda, and stephanie came down and we drove to brown county state park....the most beautiful thing i've seen for awhile. we hiked around a big, steep loop for awhile, looked at trees and leaves, and just kinda drove around. then we drove to nashville and went shopping and eating....hehe. our dining selections included homemade ice cream, fudge, fried biscuits and apple butter, chicken, sweet corn, and mashed potatoes. fat day!!!! wOOt! we also went shopping all over nashville. i bought some champa, a pair of ducky socks, and a shirt that says "tree hugging dirt worshiper"--the same that amanda got. after we had spent all of our money on food and clothes, we came back to bloomington. we watched anchorman, went and played pool at the union, and watched all the girls get ready to go out. then we put in almost famous and everyone fell asleep...just for the record, i'm never sharing a bed with steph again...ever.

on sunday, we got up and got ready and went home. then we went to 3rd service, and steve bo talked about invincible love. romans 8:38 & 39-- love it. then i had nowhere to go, because i forgot to tell mom i was coming home, so i went to eat at the mcintyres....good times. afterwards, nate and i just sat in his living room and looked at his sister's new car and just hung out. then he took me home and went to plainfield with his family. i took a nap while my family was on their way home and just laid around. i hung out with my family and my dog and cats and my mom made supper....again, good times. then i laid around some more and then mom and brad finally brought me home.

so this has probably been the best weekend i've had in a long time....thanks to everyone i saw at any point. i love you guys.
more to come
ally
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thirsty thursday (a real, sober summary)

2005-10-28T00:42:00.000-05:00

hey kids....it's been a few days since i posted last, so here goes:

sunday: fasted, lazed around, watched football, soc meeting, went to ecc and had communion, talked to a bunch of people from home on their way home from ky

monday: went to both my classes, slept in between, watched mnf

tuesday: went to class, carmen and andy came down and took me to the snow lion-- that was sooo nice and the food was awesome; i had really missed them. then mom, brad, and liz came down and we went to lennie's to eat and went to dick's; also really sweet. soc meeting, webwork and bed afterwards.

wednesday: went to class, came home and did homework, went to small group, steph got us reese's and hot chocolate and then took me to wendy's afterwards. she is sooo sweet.

today (aka thirsty thursday): slept through p215 lecture, just when i was thinking i was doing really well with my 9:30 classes hehe. went to my other two classes. did laundry. went to foster with brit and then we went to rent movies-- i got identity and swat yay...

tomorrow nate is coming down like as soon as possible.
saturday "the girls" are coming down and we're going to nashville and brown county state park....should be a pretty awesome weekend.

more to come
love
ally
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alright...

2005-10-23T05:08:00.000-05:00

ok, grace kids....

i have no one to talk to and it's 3 am on a saturday.

i'm fasting all day tomorrow, trying to figure out why i'm being so silly. please pray.

AND

ya'll need to hurry up and get back from kentucky so you can tell me how it went....on monday i guess. no internet. no food. today (well, when i wake up, after i go to sleep).

i love you guys.
more to come.
ally
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a summary....sort of

2005-10-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

listening to: share the well by caedmon's call
mood: hyped up on mt. dew and yet sooooo exhausted

so...the last time i posted was almost a week ago--here's a summary:

sunday: didn't go to church or do my dishes
monday: ummm...slept through soc, worked on my paper, went to indy to go to the dome
tuesday: finished my paper, went to all my classes, took a life span exam
wednesday:

edit: i don't remember anything, this week's been a little tiring and crazy....but nate came down on thursday night and we went to bw 3's and watched city of angels

so today i got up really early and studied for this crazy physiology exam that i had today....insane that is my only comment....

then i came back here (i didn't go to finite today...) and just relaxed for awhile

then brit and i went to csf and had free pizza and watched kingdom of heaven, which we'd never seen....it was good

now i'm back at home--- 2 weeks since i've had anything, for those of you who understand....

everyone from home is in kentucky, except dwayne, who i talked to tonight and made me cry, but not on purpose....anyways, brit and i are having a movie fest--- we're getting ready to watch i am sam. yay.

"you know what katie payne says? about how sometimes you can't know until you've kissed someone? well i think she's right...."

love you guys---hope ya'll enjoy your break from the world in ky
more to come
ally
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oh, weekend of midterms....

2005-10-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

so.....
thirsty thursday became the big party night, because appearantly the entire world at iu had a midterm at some ungodly hour on saturday morning....

i didn't party thursday night, i just kinda hung out on the floor and then went to bed a little after all the girls finally found parties.

friday night was some SERIOUS studying on ali ray, whitney, molly, and my part. man, oh man, do i love the finite. example for your mathmatical pleasure:
there are 4 blue balls and 3 green balls in a bag. you draw two without replacement. if
the first ball is green, what is the probability that the second ball is blue???

i know you guys just can't contain yourselves and have to go do that very problem.....

anyway, on saturday i got up at some crazy hour (7:50) and really missed going to league meets as i got ready and went to my midterm. we were done by 11, the exact time that indiana was playing their away game at iowa....so i watched that and got my heart broken. i also watched purdue get beat and notre dame lose in the last minute. sad day for indiana teams....

so nathan came down after he got home from the quiz meet. he kindly took me to kroger and walked with me up and down just about every aisle....learned how to do that from my mom hehe. then we left the car at kroger after a search for parking and walked to siam house, at 4th and dunn. the kroger is on south college almost to 2nd. nice.

siam house was an awful time. delta "opps"ilon was next to us, outside, buying alcohol for about 6 underage girls on the other side of us. good times. i waited like an hour for my food, as in nate was done eating by the time i got mine, and he tried to wait for mine. we just packed up my food and left. they gave us half off our bill. jerks. don't ever go there. ever. that was definately the best first half of a date i've ever had!!!

then me and nate came back to my dorm and watched contact--the 90's movie with anne heche about aliens and the government....weird one. and corey was acting like if she didn't knock and wait for us to tell her to come in that she would find us in some kind of compromising situation....crazy face. side note: he brought me "what's eating gilbert grape?" to watch sometime today. yay.

today is going to be extremely lazy....although i do have to go to the library and do my dishes and obviously watch that movie. i'm gonna go to church tonight, but hopefully this time i'll catch the bus. hehe.

alright, that's enough rambling for now. more to come
love
ally
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ummm....what?

2005-10-13T04:03:00.000-05:00

warning: this post contains a moderate amount of rambling.

so not only has this been the best 5 months of my life, but it seems that everything else and everyone else's life is just.....awful.

like johnny.

like chris.

and then there's me. i don't know what i think i'm gonna do about anything. when i'm by myself, i have one opinion and one decision about what i want to do. and then i start talking to people and listening to what they say and think, and then i change my mind. ummmm....what?

why do i think that tomorrow will be any different? just because i can't do one thing, doesn't mean i should contradict it with something else. ESPECIALLY if it's only because someone has a different opinion than the one i have.

so....i took anchors away so that i would know what i thought when i got here. it's like my brain has fallen out and all my beliefs have fallen out of my head to make room for physiology and parson's sick theory.

i really do think that a couple of weeks ago, i gave into what i thought i wanted to do. and then it came back and bit me, right in the....face. but then i ended up at church the next day. what's the deal? how hard is it to listen to yourself and what you think and believe? appearantly this is a problem for me....and i'm usually soooo opinionated. interesting. time for bed....

more to come
ally
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this weekend and part of today

2005-10-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

please be warned: this post may be very long.

so....this weekend was a good time. did i talk about thursday night? i don't remember....but we'll do it again anyway! yay! i went to this thing called "encounter" at the christian student fellowship... so for all of you grace people, it's like a mix between sunday night and quest. worship. message. announcements. small group of people. good times. i met a senior nursing student there that was a big encouragement, her name is anna. she was talking to me about how she is glad that she lives in csf (it's also a christian dorm) but that she misses that sphere of influence from the regular dorms, and that she'll never have that again. yea. i'd totally never looked at it that way. so awesome. i knew there was a reason i wasn't gonna move. anyway....

friday night was a lot of fun. nate came down in his new *cough* car and we went to foster. i bought him taco john's because i'm classy like that. then we just hung out and watched forrest gump--hadnt seen that in a while.

saturday started bright and early with molly and lk banging on all of the doors-- particularly me and corey's-- at 9 AM to get everyone up for the homecoming game, which started at 11. yes, we won. we beat illinios 36-13. that's exciting. 4-1? how did we do that? whatever. defend the rock. by the way, i sat with tricia and whit the first half and mom, brad, liz and ed the second half. good times. then i came to my room and packed up some stuff and went home with the parents. appearantly i missed a very wild party on our floor, complete with people peeing in the lounge and partygoers being busted by the ras. but my parents got a puppy, so it all works out. haha. his name is dusty bottoms (yes, like the 3 amigos) and he is a lab/rot mix, but more like a lab. sooo cute, and he seems pretty smart. smarter than will, anyway. when i got home, i took a big, long nap. then nate came over and we had chili that my mom made. then laura came over to see me and the puppy (of course, the puppy). then the 3 of us went to chris's and watched i robot. well, laura and chris watched i robot. me and nate slept. got home at 1.

sunday was a good day too--awesome weekend all around. i woke up with a headache, but i went to 3rd service anyway. it was kinda small, but we had a really good share time, and marti spoke on romans 8. afterwards i went home and slept and did math homework, or attempted anyway. then nate came over and me, nate, and my mom watched the colts stomp san francisco. only 7 days until st. louis and monday night football! wOOt. then after the game, nate went home. and mom made biscuits and gravy. so awesome, serious. then i packed up winter clothes and came back here. studied and hung out on the floor. showered. went to bed.

go up this morning and went to medical soc. blah, blah, blah. except that my group got our paper back on david koresh-- we got an A+. oh. oh yea. and my individual paper got an A, and our professor was like "can you bring me a clean copy, so i can show it to other groups?" WHOA! awesome...if only that would happen to me in math, i'd be one happy kid. alright, i think i've rambled enough for now. monday night football tonight. gr. i have math in 3 hours. time for a nap. thanks to everyone who was involved in my weekend in some way. i love you guys.

more to come
ally
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black and white

2005-10-05T03:45:00.000-05:00

i feel like it's not as hard of a choice now...this is not going to make sense to most people, and i guess if you are really interested, you can ask.

being the way i am i want to go back and change it all, fix it, make it simpler the second time around. but then i would be a completely different person with no fire or passion for much. so maybe i'm glad that all these things that i regret happened to me.

i think now that i've tasted the world, i'm more thankful for what i've received... the friends, the church, the salvation. yea, that last one. i definately don't deserve that. i am damaged without it, and it covers my past, present, and future. forever.

the choices that tempted me when i first got to this place in life do not seem as thrilling as they once did....and for that i am really thankful.

i feel safe in his arms, and i know that i am loved.

more to come
ally
ps 119:11

not alone

2005-10-04T18:25:00.000-05:00

so my last long post was kinda discouraging and depressing....or at least i felt that way. but i've been getting steadily encouraged since then, so here's what's up.

i went to church on sunday night at the evangelical community church--- i walked 40 minutes to get there, but it was so worth it.

the band was fabulous, i was a little late, so the lights were already off and everyone was all worship-y when i got there. serious. they had a guy playing the mandolin. i was a happy kid.

the message was really confusing though. it gave me a headache. it was about god's sovereignty and our free will and how that fits together. weird. let me know if anyone who is reading this has that one figured out.

so while i was worshiping, i was crying, because i had been so silly earlier in the week. i was thinking, "man, i have to be the only christian here who lives in the dorms and is sooo tempted to go out with the people on my floor and party and just live in sin." and then there were like 200 college kids (just college kids) there worshiping the lord. man. no contest.

i'm also gonna go check out an all girls small group tomorrow night. that should be a good time i think. i'm a little late on the getting plugged in, but it's going well.

we are not alone.

more to come
ally
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untitled

2005-10-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

highlight to read:

he loves me.

i guess we'll see...

2005-10-01T05:02:00.000-05:00

i feel so out of place here. even when i try to think and talk and act like them, i still don't even come close to passing as one of them. why do i care so much anyways? what i believe (or think that i do) says that i will always be different. that i'm a part of the only group that really matters. so why am i so afraid? i've already made the jump before into submission and surrender. why do i feel the need to take it all back? it's not mine to control, or at least it shouldn't be. not anymore. what are my motives for being here anyway? to change the world-- to keep going even when it's hard, to love my friends to jesus and the freedom they deserve to know about? or is it to blend in, to look, think, act like everyone else and become a slave to this world and everything in it? am i gonna tell my them i'm a lightbulb??? is "i don't want to" gonna replace "i'm just not feeling it tonight"? am i gonna do it for them, for me, for him? i guess we'll see...

the last couple of days...

2005-09-24T01:42:00.000-05:00

have been interesting, to say the least....let's go backwards, k?

today i had two exams, back to back, finite and physiology. mmmm, fun. then my mom and brad and liz came to get me and we went to eat at ruby tuesday's with brad's family for his mom's birthday...it was me, my cousins matt, zach, sara, emily, and abby, my aunt liz and uncle brian and my uncle bill and my fam and my grandma...good times.

last night i wanted to just go into a hole and die....i was really upset over what happened to nate and the exams were just blowing my mind and everything came together on that one night and, well...yuck.

thursday during the day, i got a phone call from sara-ha, telling me that she was engaged! wOOt...i am waaay excited....shane went and asked her dad's permission and everything-- and i hear the ring is HUGE! june 17th, kids. man, i'm way too young to get married. i also took my first life span development exam yesterday, which was also way too much fun for me to handle.

so now i'm home, reading to go to bed and watching all the pretty horses. nathan is ok, and it's the weekend. i think things are definately getting better....

more to come
ally
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alive

2005-09-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

so....you're probably all wondering where i've been

well, i am alive, but i am kinda in a yuck place right now, not really sure why, so i'm here to report that i am indeed alive and the wedding:

sooooo beautiful

tom petty wildflowers

tatoos as bands

that's all i have
more to come, love you guys
ally

why waco?

2005-09-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

so... i have this paper i'm supposed to be writing right now... about the branch davidians and waco, texas.... it's for my medical soc class

is it weird that i have to write a paper in less than a week on a topic that i know nothing about?? no. but is it strange that i can't bs my way out of it? yes why? group work... someone other than my prof will be looking at this paper when it's done.... gr

anyway...i'm getting all excited about going home for nathan and katie's wedding...and, believe me, my excitement has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that nathan (mine, not the engaged one) is coming to b'town to take me to the wedding....nothing at all...

these last couple of days have been kinda stressful, since i have exams/due dates coming up...i've just been kinda, blah... but last night sure was a good time

i went to my bible study in the center of my building and we went through a passage in ephesians. we did that thing where you read through the passage and then you color on it-- underlining things that stick out to you and repititions and things like that...

anyways, right in the middle of our studyness, our entire quad has a FIRE DRILL... that's right, kids, just like in high school.... oh, and if you don't come out as soon as you can, they send people through the buildings and fine anyone that is still in there....oh joy! so me, brittany, and amanda left and went to eat at foster, and we ran into my roommate corey and betsy, who lives across the hall...

then i walked all the way down to srsc and played volleyball and then i came home and went to sleep about 4 or 5 hours later... good times, good times...

more to come
ally

Developmental Psych and other class junk

2005-09-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

is it wrong for me to have absolutely NO motivation to go to my psych class???

i mean, it's a 300 level course, and it will count toward my nursing application, but it's sooo easy and soooo repetitive...

the instructor makes me want to laugh out loud-- today she told us the difference in advice in regard to breastfeeding that she got from each hospital she gave birth at....

i mean, who wouldn't want to sit through over an hour of great stories like that??? i know i would....

but other than that class, i really like all the other classes i'm in, even though my math class is kinda boring...but the instructor amuses me, so i go.

and, well, my roommate corey has taken to randomly singing really loudly...sometimes it kinda scares me...

but i'm staying here and not moving out, because she's fun and well, romans 5:3-5:

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

that's only a semi-serious use of the word, she really is a lot of fun...

more to come
ally
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i'm home...

2005-09-11T16:04:00.000-05:00

man, i loved coming home this weekend... it is sooo weird what you notice when you don't live in a normal house... like i was sooo excited to lay in the recliner in my living room in the air conitioning and to do my laundry for free and to take a shower before church without having to wear shower shoes.....soooo happy

well, on saturday liz brought me home and i did laundry and studied with laura, nathan, amanda, and dwayne....

then i went to el rodeo with nate, steph, chris, amanda, dwayne and laura....good times, good times

after that, i went to chris and steph's with nate and laura and manda, and the six of us watched monsters, inc., because we're cool like that....

then nate, laura, chris and i all stayed up talking about joshua tree and la until like 2 am--- man i wanna go back

i really miss being here.... i wish i could keep everyone in my closet and just see them whenever i wanted...i don't feel like i should come home/have nate come see me so much, but it's so hard being away from everyone... i really wanted to cry today when i left church, it had been soo long since i had been with that family and just been to a service and taken communion....

i loved it... thanks to ya'll who came with me last night at any point in time..
nothing is free...except the free smells!!!

woot...friday

2005-09-10T03:49:00.000-05:00

so...it's friday

this is my first post, i know, i know, it's darn well time i got a blog. so here it is in all it's "glory." hehe. that's even funnier after 1 am.

slept reallly late and then went to math class... man, i really dislike that class. i'll update on whether or not i hate it after i get my first scores back.

anyways, tonight i went with brittany-- a girl from my floor, for those of you who don't know-- and scott to get some food. then when went to the union and played pool. i also ran into eric, not literally, just in passing, and finally got his number.

after playing a few games, the three of us went to scott's dorm and watched like 10 episodes of family guy. and that was it. nice and sober. no frats. no house parties. and i like it that way.

YAY! i'm going home tomorrow (or today, however you want to look at it)

for anyone who reads this between now and tomorrow (saturday) night, you should give me a call-- unless you don't have my number... but i want to go out to eat-- somewhere semi-cheap like applebee's or el rodeo or i dunno, IHOP!!!!! sorry, what? on saturday night.... yes, that means you're coming too.

love you guys....
ally
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